Compartmentalized containers, such as multi-cell battery cases, typically have the outer shell injection molded integrally with the intercell partitions. Injection molding typically requires a separate and expensive mold for each container size and involves considerable lost production time when changing molds from one battery model to the next. After molding the containers, the intercell partitions are then perforated for receiving the intercell connectors which join the several individual cell elements (i.e., stack of alternately interleaved positive and negative polarity plates and interjacent microporous separators) within the battery. Finally, the cell elements are inserted into the narrow cell compartments and each coupled to the cell elements in adjacent compartments through the aperture in the partition as by a technique such as disclosed in Matter et al. 3,947,290 or other known techniques. The capacity of the battery will vary according to the size of the cell elements therein and accordingly with the volumetric capacity of the container housing those elements.
British patent No. 1,378,655 discloses coextruding hinged intercell partitions and container shell walls to provide a collapsed but expandable multi-cell battery container. Such partition-shell coextrusion techniques require complex extrusion dies and closely controlled extrusion conditions to preclude warpage of the partitions. Moreover, once formed, conventional battery assembly techniques are still required to insert the elements and complete the intercell connections.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a unique, compartmentalized container, particularly suited to use with multi-cell electric storage batteries, and to a method of making such containers in a variety of sizes from a single simple molding die. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a battery container adapted to assembling the battery in a unique manner involving placement and interconnecting of the cell elements prior to their insertion into the container and in such a manner as to insure complete sealability of the partitions therein to prevent electrolyte migration between adjacent compartments. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the detailed description thereof which follows.